Tom Hanks and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez ran off to South America and months later Cortez birthed a half- human half -frog baby. The tragic plane crash over the Potomac River just last week had zero fatalities. You see, all passengers were taken underwater and into a tunnel under the river, under Washing and back up through Maryland and eventually to a vacation home of former President Biden’s. I could go on and on. I’m scared to though as someone might read what I’m writing and actually borrow some of my ideas and make people believe it. Against my better judgement I finally sat down and read some posts others had created or reposted on Facebook. It’s been well over 15 years since I’ve done so. I WAS HORRIFIED! I remembered why I quit doing it!
It used to be that conservatism meant a belief in limited taxes and good hard working family values. Now it is bridged to conspiratorial lunacy by one word………….CONTROL. It is very human to won’t to obtain psychological homeostasis by controlling our surroundings. The difference in someone who is authoritarian in nature and someone who is democratic is the dynamic of CONTROL. Those who are authoritarian in their psychology gravitate toward strong men because it means no social change. It means a static society. When there is no change in one’s environment, then it means more CONTROL. It means control over others who look different, talk different, have sex differently and want different things out of life. On the flip side those who gravitate toward a collective democracy see value in everyone having their voices spoken and heard. They know that could mean change. It could mean disagreement. It could mean……………….UNCERTAINTY! It could mean in their lives………. lack of CONTROL! Yet, they see that the best for the most takes giving up CONTROL at times to make a better society. Which makes their lives better in the environment at large in which they find themselves.
If you ask most psychiatrists why people fall for conspiracy theories one common factor that they do so, is to summon a feeling of CONTROL. For people who have an outside locus of control (ironically a term describing people who feel helpless by their surroundings) they score higher on scales of paranoia when tested. Belief in world views that seem to offer up an opportunity to be more ‘informed’ than society at large provides special meaning to those who feel like they’ve lost control of their surroundings. This aspect of human psychology is why conspiracies can be so addictive to people of this mindset. In a free class I was gifted at the University of Georgia’s School of Education this summer, for teaching an adult learning program there; we viewed a panel discussion from Dartmouth where this subject was discussed in depth. Stated in the symposium was the fact that there is a dopamine rush to the brain when one gains collective knowledge they feel is privy to only their ‘ingroup.’ Causing those who obtain conspiratorial themed information to feel like they have knowledge that very few others have. Which makes them feel special. It allows them to feel valued. It helps them feel capable and potent when they may have experienced rejection, abuse, trauma and loss of control in their lives. It makes them feel like the have CONTROL over their surroundings. Which is quite comforting. When in reality life is a complicated journey where a lot of life is cruel, random and seems to make no sense. Except for God our Maker and Creator, no one can ever predict anything or truly know what circumstances happen.
So reader, if you are like me, you vacillate back and forth between wanting to humiliate, advise and just plain ignore your ‘tin hat friends and family.’ Whatever you decide to do there is the reality that they have caused great damage to our country. Their belief systems have about wrecked democracy in so many ways, by helping to elect people unfit for public service. You’d have every right to turn your back on ’em for a lifetime. Yet, also realize they are vulnerable and are being coopted by forces at least out to grift for the next dollar. At worst by foreign powers wanting to weaken our nation foundationally to become the next power by exploiting division in us. Yet, whatever you do on the matter, just know the psychological forces at play. At least then, you can count the cost of staying in the fight with them or walking away for good.
-J
